Around 40km from Gqeberha, adjacent to Van Staden’s Bridge and bordering the Garden Route and Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site, lies Crossways Farm Village. This unique blend of agribusiness and sustainable living is the brainchild of landscape architect and property developer Chris Mulder. Officially launched on 19 November 2010, this project embodies a new paradigm in rural development.
In 2019, agribusiness person David Osborne joined Mulder as a major shareholder in Crossways Farm Village, which has been proclaimed a ‘new rural town’. The developer provides all infrastructure and bulk services, such as roads, water, sewerage, power, fibre optics, and security.
Mulder describes Crossways Farm Village as “a harmonious blend of conservation, agriculture and sustainable living”. Spanning 520ha, it is divided into three equal and sustainable nodes: one dedicated to conservation, another to urban agriculture and a working dairy farm, and the third to residential living, encompassing 732 plots of land, communal and commercial spaces, industrial precincts, and recreational grounds.
This division ensures a balanced approach to development while preserving the natural environment.
FAST FACTS
Crossways Farm Village, launched in 2010, is located 30km from Gqeberha, near Van Staden’s Bridge.
The village spans 520ha and is divided into three equal nodes dedicated to conservation, urban agriculture, and residential living.
The village includes a working dairy farm with about 450 cows, providing fresh milk for the residents and the broader market.
“From the very beginning, sustainability was our guiding principle. We wanted to create a place where people could live in harmony with nature, where nothing is wasted and resources are renewable,” says Mulder.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 13 September 2024 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 13 September 2024 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
